Labor Induction

I've ranted and raved about this subject more than a dozen times before...and it never gets old. There is always new material out and about for me to rant about, when it comes to the practice of women forcefully evicting their unborn babies, mostly out of either convenience or coercion.

Rarely anymore do I hear of an induction that is actually medically warranted. Usually, it's because mom is so sick and tired of being pregnant, that she just wants baby out. Or, due to the holiday season, the OB is leaving on vacation...and well, you wouldn't want another doctor to attend your birth, would you? :sigh:

What gets me is the continuing cycle of ignorance. Women really don't get, or care to understand, that inductions without medical reason do more harm than good to their baby. But why would you listen to a crazy ranting lady, instead of your WONDERFUL *coughTrainedSurgeoncough*...err, I mean OB? Is an extra couple of days, or an extra week or two REALLY worth putting your baby at risk? Is it worth putting your body at risk for so many things? Is it worth the greater risk of ending up with a c-section, and possibly a baby in the NICU? Really?

What kills me is that I recently read the birth story of a woman I used to know. She has NEVER been patient enough to allow her babies to come in their own time, and always made herself sound like an idiot with the "I'm not trying to be a hero", in regards to forgoing that precious epidural. So she has never gone into labor on her own, and she has never allowed herself to actually FEEL any of her babies be birthed. This last baby was no exception. And this time? This time she allowed them to use Cytotec to induce her...and her incredibly ignorant explanation was that Cytotec is a much more "gentle" way of inducing labor, in comparison to Pitocin.

Maybe she's never read the reports of women and babies *DYING* after Cytotec inductions, or the fact that the FDA pulled it off the "Accepted Drug" lists, along with issuing an extreme warning about its use. :shrug:



The sad part is, there are so many babies out there who are not allowed to be birthed gently, in their own time. They are forced out with harsh drugs, and then more drugs are poured into their tiny systems just so their mother doesn't have to "suffer" birth pains. So baby is left to go through a forced labor, on their own.


What are the risks of an induction?

Failure. Your body does what it's supposed to do, and protects the baby who is not yet ready to be born.

Fetal Distress. In forcefully trying to get baby out when baby is not ready, many respond to induction drugs by going into distress.

Hemorrhage. When your body has been forced to do something it's not ready to, the uterus can become over-stimulated, and exhausted, causing problems with it contracting after a birth, leading to hemorrhage.

Instrumental Delivery. Since women rarely withstand inductions without drugs or an epidural, inductions have a very high rate of instrumental ( forceps, vacuum ) delivery, which would also come with iatrogenic perineal injury.

Cesarean Section. The fact is, inducing labor comes with a high risk of a cesarean delivery. If you weren't in labor, your body and your baby weren't ready. Forcing it may work for some, but definitely not for all. You will likely spend the time recovering from major abdominal surgery ( and a harder time getting baby to breastfeed if baby spent any time in the NICU ), that you could have spent in the remainder of the pregnancy, and birthing a baby who was ready to be born.

When will women learn? When will women regain the patience that women USED to have, and rest in the knowledge that babies know when it's the best time to come?

And for those who love to argue for arguments' sake...I'm not speaking of medically necessary inductions. ( Eclampsia, true IUGR, etc ) I'm speaking of the women who get to 40,41,42 weeks and don't want to be pregnant anymore. I'm speaking of the women who have been "stuck" at 1,2,3,4cm "forever" and like to believe that they'll never go into labor on their own. I'm speaking of the women who allow their doctors to schedule induction because they're ready to go out of town, or have a Tee Time to make it to. Or for women who believe it's safest to induce at 39/40 weeks because their baby will be TOO HUGE to birth within a week or two....because we all know that baby's head and shoulders hit an INCREDIBLE growth spurt past then. ;)

And for the Prodromal Laboring women....Prodromal labor SUCKS, but it still doesn't mean you're in actual labor for weeks on end, or that your baby will never come out. It doesn't mean that baby is ready. It doesn't mean that induction is okay because you're tired, frustrated, or hurting. Have patience. Your baby will come, and often, there's a VERY good reason for prodromal labor, or intense Braxton Hicks contractions.

Women, slow down. Have patience, and allow your babies to come in the time that they're meant to, naturally.